WSRE launches ‘At Home’ learning next week

Starting next week, WSRE will begin airing a new daytime schedule of “At-Home Learning” PBS programs suited for students from Pre-K through 12th grade from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays. The schedule change is part of a state-wide effort among PBS stations in Florida to support families, educators and students during school closures brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Like the digital resources available online through PBS LearningMedia, this new weekday television schedule will provide educational programs that are aligned to state standards for Florida schools and are free and accessible from home.

“This special educational programming and the PBS LearningMedia website are extraordinary tools that are free and easy to access from home, and they can play a critical role by providing trusted, aligned education resources for students, parents, teachers and caregivers during these challenging times,” said Jill Hubbs, WSRE general manager.

The new daytime schedule replaces WSRE’s usual lineup of PBS KIDS programming on the main channel, 23.1. This programming for early learners will remain available on the WSRE PBS KIDS channel, 23.4, and streaming online at pbskids.org.

PBS KIDS is for grownups, too. At PBS KIDS for Parents (pbs.org/parents), searches can be filtered by topic and age. For example, select Social Skills for age 3 to find appropriate articles, printable activities, recipes, games and apps. The article, “How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus,” is an example of how PBS KIDS for Parents provides up-to-date information aligned with current events.

Designed for teachers and students, PBS LearningMedia (pbslearningmedia.org) is accessible for everyone. Search by grades Pre-K through High School to find videos, games and activities aligned to state and national school standards.

WSRE’s new daytime television schedule will include specific blocks of time for Pre-K through 12th grade levels and cover English language arts, social studies, science and math.

“PBS stations like WSRE are ideally suited to deliver this content, not only because of the educational quality of our programs, but also because our broadcast signal is available for free to all homes in our coverage area,” said Hubbs. “It is our hope that families will tune in and use these online educational resources to create at-home learning environments for their children.”

The WSRE program schedule, along with links to the PBS LearningMedia and PBS KIDS for Parents websites, can be found at wsre.org.